... What more do you want? This is an earnest drink that tries to present itself to you in colours that say “I have a history, I am above all that other loopy juice out there, drink me with DIGNITY”
Strongbow is made by Bulmers, the Somerset brewery who also make Scrumpy, he of the first name ... Read review
Advantages: Available absolutely EVERYWHERE Disadvantages: Can make you into a fuzzy brained idiot after a minor application....
...three shivering teenagers sharing a bulmers can behind the community school disco in the middle of winter?
Is it the remnants of Diamond White that lie in the gutter outside the pub that showed the England game on its large-screen TV last night?
One way or another cider needs an image makeover, as none of the things that we think of when we play word association with cider are positive things.
Cider is like those ... ...as appropriate) that your Mother bought you when you were four and made you wear when you were out playing. We have all experienced it. It is just rather odd thing to be still doing it as an adult.
I had always presumed that there MUST be grown-up cider drinkers out there as there are millions of gallons of the stuff drank every year and bottles and taps in most pubs I used to go into. Then four years ago, I met one of them, I liked ... more
Cider .. cider ... cider.
Go on, tell me what you are thinking when you hear that word…
Is it a Worzel Gummage type of country person leaning on a gate in the sunshine, picking at their teeth with a piece of straw and slurping at something urine coloured and flat out of a clear bottle? Is it the three shivering teenagers sharing a bulmers can behind the community school disco in the middle of winter? Is it the remnants of Diamond White that lie in the gutter outside the pub that showed the England game on its large-screen TV last night?
One way or another cider needs an image makeover, as none of the things that we think of when we play word association with cider are positive things.
Cider is like those STUPID lederhosen/pedal pushers/pink blouse/ (fit in dodgy item of clothing as appropriate) that your Mother bought you when you were four and made you wear when you were out playing. We have all experienced it. It is just rather odd thing to be still doing it as an adult.
I had always presumed that there MUST be grown-up cider drinkers out there as there are millions of gallons of the stuff drank every year and bottles and taps in most pubs I used to go into. Then four years ago, I met one of them, I liked him, I tried some cider, I liked it. We are getting married in 22 days. The two events are NOT related although the start of the relationship could POSSIBLY be linked to a few strongbows or five.
I sit writing this with a glass of the stuff in hand so I can give you a first hand account of smell, taste, aftertaste and sensation. This is reporting as RAW as it gets, a real front-line report. However I should warn you that there are 3 more cans in the fridge so while things may get a little incoherent for the reader, they are on the way up for this reviewer.
What is cider then? ********************* Cider is an alcoholic drink made from the extract of squashed and squished cider apples with added bacteria, champagne yeast to scurry the fermenting along and then honey or fruit sugar to sweeten (but only if it is intended to be a sweet cider … obviously)
The history channel bit; ********************* Cider has been made in the UK for the last 2,000 years and is credited to Iron Age man as his invention. It was considered so important and so crucial to the citizens of the UK that a Treatise of Cider was drawn up in 1676 and which declared the right of every ‘man, woman and child (!) to drink it’. The author of said volume also commented "constant use of this liquor ... hath been found by long experience to avail much to health and long life; preserving the Drinker's of it in their full strength and vigour even to very old age". This person obviously never had a skinful of Woodpecker!
The accused: ********************* Strongbow Cider comes in a gold and black can. Nice strong colours which hark back to the medieval age that the drink seems so much a part of. You can imagine that the barrel of cider that Friar Tuck fought so hard to protect from Robin Hood and his merry men was draped in cloths of this colour. To compound this, there is an archer in gold printed on top of the can and on the beer taps. What more do you want? This is an earnest drink that tries to present itself to you in colours that say “I have a history, I am above all that other loopy juice out there, drink me with DIGNITY”
Strongbow is made by Bulmers, the Somerset brewery who also make Scrumpy, he of the first name of Jack, a strong cider and Woodpecker, their sweet cider.
Ahhh... Somerset, Pilton, Glastonbury festival. I WISH I was bestriding those muddy fields tonight.
ABV: ********************* 5.3% alcohol.
If you cannot drink, try not to have more than one as you will start stumbling down the well-trodden path of flushing red, talking shite, tripping over your own feet, doing the funky chicken – BADLY, farting like a champion, singing the hokey kokey VERY BADLY, handing your mobile number to someone you really wish you hadn’t and waking up the next morning with your dry raspy tongue superglued to your nose.
Consider yourself warned.
The taste: ********************* Once the can is opened and poured, the APPEARANCE is of simple apple juice, that same pale golden colour except it has the tiny traces of a delicate carbonation running through it.
The AROMA emitted by the drink is off apples but not any old apple. Have you ever gone to a house in the countryside where there is an old apple tree in the garden that has shed bucketloads of its fruit on the ground because there is no one to pick it off the branches? It is THAT smell, a mixture of fermentation, receding sweetness and a murmur of something that was once apples. The sort of smell that drives wasps and bees to frenzy in the summertime.
Strongbow is a dry cider and has only a little quantity of added sugars. It is carbonated, therefore not really suitable for people who like the traditional sort of flat cider. Although it is bubbly, it does not posses the sort of bubbles that makes the drinker feel full, bloated and uncomfortable. They are more of a ‘small bubble’ sort of personality. The TASTE of the liquid is apple sharp and borders on tangy. After a few swigs, the AFTERTASTE hits home which is a slightly sour and dry taste in the roof of the mouth. Although this is not all bad news as it can be cured by frequent and thorough re-application of the cider to the mouth area of the body.
There is quite a noticeable difference between the taste of the draft version and the canned version. The latter has a less sharp taste with a duller flavour. This can be remedied by NOT refrigerating the can and serving the contents with a few ice-cubes in the same glass so it is ‘cold’ as opposed to chilled to the point of tastelessness. A cider that is too chilled is the same as a wine that is in the same state – below a certain temperature, the liquid is too cold for the tastebuds to taste so you may as well sup water and raw alcohol for all the flavours you will be able to detect and enjoy.
The reality: ********************* Carbs: 5.5 grams/100ml Energy: 23 kilojoules/100ml; (51 calories/100ml in real money)
Cost and availability: ********************* In most off-licences and local shops you can pickup a 500ml can for 99p. They are normally 440ml but there is a special offer running with 13.5% free for the same value in legal tender, which is better than a bee-sting in the bum! A pint will set you back between £3.35 in SE and W London and £1.60 in a little county pub in the wilds of Leicester, the name of which I am understandably keeping to myself.
The long and the short of it: ********************* I am afraid that I am never going to be able to make a convincing case for the classiness of cider due to two factors: 1) Its sheer drinkability 2) The lethal effect that drinkability has on the human body
Butttttttttttttttttttttttt it is a very refreshing drink and really lovely. If you just fancy something ’lite’ at the end of a long hot day, try mixing it half and half with chilled white lemonade and a few ice-cubes.
However if you fancy something with a bit more kick, below is my recipe for a pimms cocktail with Strongbow, use sparingly!!
The cocktail: ********************* Ingredients: Can of Strongbow Pimms Absolute vodka While lemonade 2 pealed satsumas – divide into natural sections and divide those sections in half 1 chopped pealed braeburn apple 12 quartered firm British strawberries A large jug (capable of holding about 2 litres or more) About 24 large cubes of ice
Put the ice and the fruit in the large jug. Pour over one 500ml can of Strongbow. Add one cup of Pimms (average 200ml teacup) Add ½ cup of Absolute vodka (don’t use any more or it will poison the cocktail) Add 12 cups of while lemonade
Stir and serve into glasses with two cubes of ice, a slice of lemon and a mint leaf already added.
Enjoy!
Thanks for reading : ) xx E.
PS. 2 cans later and I KNOW why they were called the MERRY men.....
Advantages: Tastes good, cheap and gets you pretty pissed! Disadvantages: You could start fancying your family !
...Cornwall than anywhere else!
Bulmers was founded in Hereford in 1887 by Percy Bulmer, the son of a local clergyman and made 4000 gallons in the first year. In 2006 Bulmers makes 65% of the five million hectolitres of cider sold annually in the UK.
Strongbow is the most popular of the ciders produced by Bulmers, but they do also produce Scrumpy Jack and Woodpecker. Strongbow is exported across Europe and Scandinavia, the USA, Asia Pacific, and the ... ...I - for one - like to support British manufacturers and farmers, and tend to look for British produce in the supermarket when I am shopping. So, it's good to be doing my bit for old blighty when I am getting mullered of a weekend as well!
Unlike Wine, Champagne, and Whisky, Cider does not mature with age, so it is important to enjoy it sooner rather than later! In fact, the 2 litre bottle I bought advises that it should be consumed within 3-days ...
newty1977 30.04.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bulmers Strongbow
Advantages: A change from lager, Not too expensive, Less humiliating than buing Diamond White Disadvantages: Some people may find it a bit too sweet or gaseous, Not on tap in many pubs
What sort of images does the word "cider" conjure up for you? Jokes about country folk and sheep perhaps? Or how about teenagers drinking the stuff while sitting in bus shelters and trying to look cool? I know most of you (UK readers at least!) will surely have tried cider at some point in their lives; probably as something of a "soft" alcoholic drink and introduction to booze. Given that cider has such an image, it in not surprising that so many ... ...as they feel they have outgrown it and are vaguely embarrassed to order it down the pub - so quite a few people I have met have been shocked to find me quaffing it at the grand old age of 24! Cider, for the confused amongst you, is basically fermented apple juice - I think it is known as "hard cider" or "real cider" in the USA to distinguish it from the fruit juice. But there is a little more to it than just fruit and bacteria, as cider makers are ...
Collingwood21 29.12.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bulmers Strongbow
Advantages: Refreshing Disadvantages: Maybe a bit too sweet for some.
Feel bloated after lager? why not try cider. Out shopping this week, I decided to pick up some Strongbow cider. Not my normal choice but, after putting on a few pounds, lager just left me feeling even fatter. History
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Well we all know the story of Mr Newton and the apple but, after visiting the Strongbow web site, I was taken a little further in the history of cider making and the story behind Mr Strongbow (Richard De Clare), an Irish adventurer ... ...cider during celebrations. This site is well worth a visit if only to see how we have changed from using ponies to steel machinery to make our cider. Made in England by HP Bulmer Ltd, this Australian cider is just one of many on our supermarket shelves today. Packaging
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Oh where do I start? These come in cans (yes I think you may have guessed that), and bottles. Now I do not have all the different packages with me and will tell you about ...
manunas22 17.10.2002 (16.12.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bulmers Strongbow
Advantages: Wide availability, cans/multipacks often competetively priced, nice taste. Disadvantages: Differing strength on different pumps, therefore not always a nice pint.
I'll never forget the face of the woman behind the bar when my mate asked her for a pint of Russell Crowe. She didn't know if he was serious, drunk, mentally ill or otheriwise indisposed! All he wanted was a pint of Strongbow, but asked for it in some ridiculous rhyming slang that we'd invemted earlier that week.
Strongbow, for me, will always be a summer drink. Sitting in the sun in one of the pubs down the Mumbles sipping an ice cold Bow is something ... ...It does seem to have developed a bit of a bad reputation, but Strongbow is one of the better ciders that is readily available on tap. A good pint of Bow has a nice crisp taste, is fairly dry but a little sweet, (not so sweet that its Woodpecker!) and slides coolly down the throat. Unfortunately, the majority of pints these days seem to be badly poured, and as aresult, many people that I know seem to have rejected the drink as being poor quality.
...
Decoy 06.05.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bulmers Strongbow
Advantages: No one will steal your drink Disadvantages: ...No one will steal your drink
...the more premium Ciders like Bulmers and Magners, they have become fashionable drinks for some reason. With Kopparberg also on the up as a sweet lager, that again is slightly higher in price than perhaps people would be happy to part with for a single drink. So Strongbow, as a slightly cheaper drink, and ones that's been around for years, as a result becoming one of the drinks my parents and grandparents have been drinking for as long as I can remember. ... ...little logo with a crossbow man on it as the drinks mascot, it's a can that to the best of my knowledge hasn't changed in years. The drink, as all drinks I get in cans has to be poured into a glass for personal pleasure as drinking from cans is pretty much criminal, tainting the flavour (always making it taste metallic) and feeling too cold to drink inside the mouth anyway. The drink is a smooth amber colour, which did form a head that was soon to ...
iamasadlittleboy 07.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bulmers Strongbow
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Advantages: Enjoyable, smooth and tasty Disadvantages: Don't serve with ice!!
The cider market is changing. Look at Magnars and how they have spiced up the image of cider drinking.
I have been a drinker of cider (amopng other things!) for 20 years, 99% of the time with a dash of blackcurrant to sweeten it up and NO ice. The 1 exception is the relatively new Strongbow Sirrus.
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Advantages: great taste, overall appearance Disadvantages: a wee bit on the pricey side?
cheaper cider.
Overall opinion: I'm not normally a cider drinker, but this one jumped out at me on the shelf. I'm very impressed that it's nothing like the original Strongbow cider (which I don't like) and I would definitely buy it again. A 5% Vol Cider for around £1.50 per 500ml (I got mine on offer in Tesco at £1.26) it's more expensive than original cider, but well worth the price increase. Recommended for those who don't like cider, and best enjoyed chilled, accompanied by a big bag of crisps! ...
Advantages: thirst quenching Disadvantages: doesnt taste like alcohol (dangerous) ha ha
its summer its hot and you have a thirst quench.
last summer this was me.
I was offered strongbow sirrus and initially declined "cider I dont drink cider do I look like a cider drinker?" I replied and was then given a challenge i was given the task of drinking a bottle and if i felt acidy or dry mouthed I would get it for free not wanting to decline a free drink i drank it and rather quickly too. It was gorgeous not like cider at all its smooth not strong with an underling tone of apple quenched my thirst and decided to drink it for the rest of my time out.
The next day i had no hangover not like my past experiances with diamond white my reason for no longer drinking cider but was pleasently surprised it became my summer drink.
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